Overcoming The spirit of competition!

4 years ago a new church started in our comunity. The pastor was from a mega-church located just 25 minutes up the freeway. When I first heard about the church I figured it was another campus or a plant from that church. Then one day right around the corner from me at the local 7th day church as I was driving by I saw a sign there saying "Crossroad Christian Center Meeting Here". Immediatley I felt something inside that I had never felt as a pastor before but it did not take me long to discern it, it was the spirit of competition! In my head were thoughts like "he started with 154 people & I had 4" & "He's got lot's of money and I have none" & "He has the backing of a mega-church and I have the backing of a broke district that says "were praying for you" etc (by the way, I mean no dis-respect. I love my district). I must tell you I did not like what I felt and immediatley began to pray for that pastor and his church. In fact, it became a habit for me to pray for the churches and pastors in my area. It was through praying for them and of course understanding they are fighting the same fight serving the same God that I was able to quickly overcome that spirit. I must admit every once in awhile that I feel that spirit try to come on me again with some church or pastor but when it does I immediatley go to prayer for that church/pastor. That pastor I mentioned, we have become friends and meet for coffee or talk regularly. We are not close buddies but have a mutual respect one for another. He now pastors about 600+ while I pastor 200+. One day while we were talking he told me "Todd, I respect you and what you are doing. Most would have left like so many before you but you have stayed, pressed on and believed in what God called you to do. Many have not had the training I have had" (Marines, Rhema and the mega church) and use it as an excuse. That day we saw eachother for who we were. We were both pastors and both successful, not becaue of the size of our church but because were doing what God called us to do and HE was building HIS CHURCH. I have found it difficult at times not to get ahead of God. I see what He is doing in so many other churches and combined with the dream He has placed within me it causes me at times to think my church should be so much more than it is. Recently I realized that my gifts and talents and desire will not speed up the timing of God. I must not make excuses for mediocrity and cannot become complacent. However, I cannot allow myself to compare my church or my ministry to anyone elses or measure myself by their "success". I am learning to rejoice for the "KINGDOM SUCCESS" of my brothers and sisters and pray for each one, especially those located close to me. We preach unity and love for the brethern but if we are honest we only live that ourselves as long as our ministry is growing as we would like. Today I give respect to each of you and the job you are doing for the kingdom and the success you have found in your city. Today I pray for you, for our fellowship but especially for my brothers fighting the good fight in the community I am in. I do not love or think more of my oldest daughter Kayla because she had more success in some areas than my youngest Hailey. I love them each with all of my heart for who they are and what they have been able to accomplish with what they have been given. Only if we can see that our Father God loves us this way but with so much more than we will ever know. Let's keep the dream alive that God has given and strive to truly please & honor Him and the call He has given us. When that happens success is sure to follow!

ANY THOUGHTS?

I Just want to be Fed!!

"I’ve heard it…you have too…'Christians' saying, 'I just want to be fed!' It blows my mind! This would be equal to you and I going to an all you can eat buffet and crying because no one would bring us any food. Food is all around in this environment…but if the person is lazy and self centered, wanting to be waited on hand and foot, then they could possibly starve to death when food is merely a few feet away.

"Today as Christians we have WAY more information than we could ever apply. However, I think many people use 'going deep' as an excuse as to not actually apply any of the knowledge they claim to be soaking up. I believe it breaks the heart of God when arrogant people claim intellectual superiority out of pride and stupidity rather than just seeking Jesus and trying to honor Him on a daily basis."In reading through the Scriptures I have found that Jesus’ strongest words of rebuke were for the 'deep,' the professional religious people of the day. If 'deep' is being a part of the group that knows tons about the Bible but missed Jesus–then I don’t want to be affiliated with them. Give me Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and who will one day return…not another Bible study on the weight of the Ark of the Covenant."

If people are not even doing what they know then why do people complain about not being fed or going deeper. Let's get the Fruit of the Spirit right first before we seek the manifestation of the Spirit. There is no greater depth than personally leading someone to Christ. You want to be fed then serve others. There is no greater nourishment. Ephesians 6 says... not with eyeservice as menpleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

Disturb us Lord

When we weigh all challenges that are laid before us by our God, when we review our efforts and see that they have not been enough, when we realize we have really become self centered, theological debaters that want to impress the suits, when we understand that we are purposed for one thing, to bring people to Christ, then my prayer becomes like this prayer prayed in 1544.

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come true Because we have dreamed too little,When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possessWe have lost our thirst For the waters of life;Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternityAnd in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seasWhere storms will show your mastery;Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars.We ask You to push back The horizons of our hopes;And to push into the future In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Sir Francis Drake

Dear God, i ask you to rock our world and rattle the cage of ME and my PASTOR FRIENDS that we will be disturbed to the point that we cannot sleep, that we cannot stand in our pulpits without weeping, that we will be broken as your heart is broken for the lives of those in our communities without a Savior.

Come On, really, Let's think about IT

Hopefully you survived the blog from last night and are able to begin to digest what I am trying to say. Guys, ask yourself the tough questions. Really, what are we doing to invade the kingdom of darkness with the lifechanging message of Hope. I have been in PCG my entire life and it seems to me that we are more concerned about what other Denominations or Christians think about us than Loving the UnLovable. COME ON, Really, Let's think about IT. If we are not getting messy ourselves then how can we Lead, Ask, Require, Mandate or even PREACH to others that this is what us a Christ Followers are called to do. Be Honest, Be Bold, Take off the Mask, Quit talking in our PREACHER VOICE and be REAL & RELEVANT to today's UnChristian people that are dying without a Savior and ask yourself:

• When was the last time you sat down in a place that was NOT a "Christian" safe environment and shared yourself with someone far from Christ, and did not PREACH to them??
• When was the last time you woke up in the morning with your heart broken for people in your community that are beaten down, dysfunctional, bible illiterate, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God?? If you are not broken for them then how can you reach them?
• When was the last time you had someone at your church that you personally invited and shared Christ with??
• How much time do you spend in a week in your community becoming familiar with where these people hang and how to touch them where they are??
• Do you spend more time in "Deep" theological discussion with your staff than you do living the example of Passion to reach the "Messy" people in your city??

I believe it is time for us to Really, Think about IT. I get so tired of hearing theological debates and who is right and who is wrong. Come on, Get a LIFE!! I have almost come to the point that I dispise the word "Deep" because it seems that we cannot even get the simplicity of the Gospel right first. It is called the Great Commission. My prayer is that God will allow my spirit to be cut deeply when I am lazy, disinterested or even become to religious, to hear HIM speak to me. I ask the Holy Spirit to break us for the things that breaks His heart. So one last question for you and I hope it is in your face, rattles your cage, slaps you us beside your head.

• How Many People have accepted Christ this year through your Ministry???

Reaching UnChurched People is Messy!!!

I seriously don’t understand “leaders” that plant churches that appeal to themselves. I don’t understand “leaders” that plant churches to reach other church people. I really don’t understand “leaders” that plant churches with no real heart to reach people far from God.
Don’t get me wrong…reaching people far from God is messy. They cuss…they have serious issues…they smell…they drink…they live lifestyles that are at times really repulsive. Reaching people far God also means going to places that church folks have been taught not to go. People FAR from God do not hang out in Starbucks or Junior League meetings…they hang out in bars, porn shops, downtown streets, bowling allies, courtrooms, emergency rooms and R-rated movies. It’s not easy…it’s not pleasant…it’s not always rewarding. However, reaching people far from God with the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what the Father called us to do.

If you don’t want to do ministry that is messy…don’t plant a church. If you just want to “feed the saints”…don’t plant a church. If you just want to stop having to take orders from your current pastor…don’t plant a church. If you just got fired, let go or laid off from a ministry position…don’t plant a church. If you are still trying to impress Bible College professors with your preaching skills…don’t plant a church. In fact, if you think planting a church is cool…don’t plant a church. If you think those things, It’s probably going to be best for you to get a job in a safe Christian environment…where it’s safe, there’s a steady paycheck and you only have to interact with other Christians and forget the Great Commission.

On the other hand if you love the smell of vomit and beer….if you love to hear about people’s addictions…if you love hearing the f-bomb dropped by every member of a family (including kids)…if you love people wearing halter tops and Budweiser t-shirts in the Sunday service…if you love people putting three dollars cash in the offering plate and crossing their arms during worship…if you love getting 3 a.m. marriage counseling calls…then by all means…plant a church. I’m not talking about you liking that stuff…I’m talking about…you love the challenge of getting messy. Church planting done right is messy…and attracts messy people. If you don’t have a passion for the mess…if you don’t hear someone cussing and think, “That person is a potential guest for my church”…if you don’t wake up every day with an unquenchable thirst to see people far from God come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior…church planting is going to be a miserable experience for you!!!

How to know you are a Leader

Every leader faces tough times - and that’s when leaders distinguish themselves and show who they really are. Leading others can be very difficult and can take great courage. Of course, it’s not that way all of the time. About 95 % of the decisions a CEO makes could be made by a reasonably intelligent high school graduate. What is often required is common sense. But CEO’s don’t get paid for those decisions; they get paid for the other 5 %! Those are the tough calls. Every change, every challenge, and every crisis requires a tough call, and the way those are handled is what separates good leaders from the rest.
How do you know when you’re facing a tough call and need to be at your best as a leader? You’ll know when the decision is marked by these three things:

1. The Tough Call Demands Risk
2. A Tough Call Brings with It an Inward Battle
3. A Tough Call will Distinguish You as a Leader

Chase the Lion

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not.

Be yourself.
Laugh at yourself.
Quit holding out.
Quit holding back.
Quit running away.
Chase the lion.